Kenneth MacMillan's hugely popular production of Prokofiev's ballet - live from the Royal Opera House

Premiered in 1965 with Rudolph Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn dancing the lead roles, Kenneth McMillan's first full-evening ballet has become one of the Royal Ballet's signature works, enjoying great popularity around the world. It's not hard to see why. From the outset, MacMillan's production teems with life and colour as the townspeople, market traders and servants of the rival Montagues and Capulets go about their daily business in vibrant crowd scenes. But they all melt into the background once Romeo and Juliet take centre stage for those great pas de deux: the meeting in the ballroom, the balcony scene, the morning after the wedding and the final devastating tomb scene. Although the Royal Ballet has performed 'Romeo and Juliet' more than 400 times, each performance and pairing is subtly different, bringing fresh nuances to the young lovers' characters.

David McVicar's lively, colourful production of Verdi's great tragic opera - live from the Royal Opera House.

Court jester Rigoletto is kept by the rich, dissolute, womanising Duke of Mantua. He tries to protect his innocent daughter Gilda from this heartless seducer. But when he learns that the duke's courtiers have abducted her, the tormented Rigoletto resolves to avenge himself upon his employer. Based on Victor Hugo's play 'Le roi s'amuse', Verdi's classic opera was hugely controversial back in 1850, when works depicting the nobility in such a poor light were considered unacceptable. After much negotiation with the censor, 'Rigoletto' was finally premiered in Venice and went on to become an international triumph. First seen in 2001, David McVicar's refreshingly explicit production benefits from Tanya McCallin's beautiful period costumes and Michael Vale's starkly effective sets. Together, they breathe new life into Verdi's exploration of love, betrayal and the most exquisite revenge.